Characteristics of a Mini Lop
When raising show rabbits, one of the most important tools you can purchase, other than the rabbit(s), is The Standard of Perfection. This booklet is written, maintained and published by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) and it is sold by most rabbit supply vendors. The Standard includes the qualities and characteristics of each breed of rabbit and cavy. The information in The Standard of Perfection is what every rabbit breeder, and every rabbit judge, refers to when evaluating any breed.
If you are serious about this hobby, invest in a Standard of Perfection booklet. The following mini lop description is taken from The Standard of Perfection:
Schedule of Points
General Type 80
Body 43
Head 20
Ears/Crown 12
Feet/Legs/Bone 5
Fur 10
Color/Markings 5
Condition 5
Total Points 100
Body: Massive, thickset, heavily muscled, compact, well balanced. Shoulders broad, well filled with good depth. Hindquarter is broad, deep smooth, rounded, lower hips well filled. Slight taper from the heavier hindquarters to the shoulders. Dewlap permitted on does, should balance with the rest of the rabbit. Faults: Long, narrow body; flat shoulders or hips; chopped or undercut hindquarters; large dewlap on does.
Head: Strongly developed, sturdy, bold and balanced with the body; not too narrow. Set closely on shoulders with neck as short as possible. Crown boldly arched. Slight curvature of the skull from the base of the crown to the nose. Faults: Long, narrow head; pointed nose.
Ears/Crown: Ears well placed on top of the head rising from strong basal ridge, lopping vertically on both sides of the head. Ears should hang close to cheeks with ear openings turned toward the head. Outline of ears and crown should resemble a horseshoe. Length and width of ear proportionate and in balance with head and body. Ears well furred, not creased and well rounded at the ends. Faults: Poor ear carriage; narrow; very thick or very thin ears; folds in the ear; ears turned away from the head; thinly furred ears.
Legs/Feet/Bone: Legs thick, short, straight, with heavy bone. Toenails on broken pattern group may be light or dark; a difference in pigmentation between rear and front is permitted. All front toenails should match and all rear toenails should match. Faults: Mismatched toenails; fine bone. Disqualification: General toenail color disqualifications apply on all solid pattern animals.
Fur: Glossy, lustrous, uniform, medium in length, thick, dense, with good rollback. Faults: Silky; long/harsh; long/thin; short fur.
Color/Markings: Solid pattern to include all recognized colors within the recognized groups. Broken pattern to include any recognized color within the recognized group in conjunction with white. Broken pattern must exhibit a butterfly pattern on muzzle with wings outlined in white, solid color circle around each eye, solid colored ears are preferred. Color should be evenly distributed in patched or blanketed markings. Broken pattern should have white front feet; elbow patches are desirable. Rear feet may be white, colored, or partially colored. Faults: Excessive white hairs in solid pattern group; partial nose markings/eye circles in broken pattern group; brokens with highly colored faces so markings are indistinct. Disqualifications: Mismatched eyes, foreign colored spots in the eye; absence of head markings on broken pattern; less than 10% color on broken pattern.
If you are serious about this hobby, invest in a Standard of Perfection booklet. The following mini lop description is taken from The Standard of Perfection:
Schedule of Points
General Type 80
Body 43
Head 20
Ears/Crown 12
Feet/Legs/Bone 5
Fur 10
Color/Markings 5
Condition 5
Total Points 100
Body: Massive, thickset, heavily muscled, compact, well balanced. Shoulders broad, well filled with good depth. Hindquarter is broad, deep smooth, rounded, lower hips well filled. Slight taper from the heavier hindquarters to the shoulders. Dewlap permitted on does, should balance with the rest of the rabbit. Faults: Long, narrow body; flat shoulders or hips; chopped or undercut hindquarters; large dewlap on does.
Head: Strongly developed, sturdy, bold and balanced with the body; not too narrow. Set closely on shoulders with neck as short as possible. Crown boldly arched. Slight curvature of the skull from the base of the crown to the nose. Faults: Long, narrow head; pointed nose.
Ears/Crown: Ears well placed on top of the head rising from strong basal ridge, lopping vertically on both sides of the head. Ears should hang close to cheeks with ear openings turned toward the head. Outline of ears and crown should resemble a horseshoe. Length and width of ear proportionate and in balance with head and body. Ears well furred, not creased and well rounded at the ends. Faults: Poor ear carriage; narrow; very thick or very thin ears; folds in the ear; ears turned away from the head; thinly furred ears.
Legs/Feet/Bone: Legs thick, short, straight, with heavy bone. Toenails on broken pattern group may be light or dark; a difference in pigmentation between rear and front is permitted. All front toenails should match and all rear toenails should match. Faults: Mismatched toenails; fine bone. Disqualification: General toenail color disqualifications apply on all solid pattern animals.
Fur: Glossy, lustrous, uniform, medium in length, thick, dense, with good rollback. Faults: Silky; long/harsh; long/thin; short fur.
Color/Markings: Solid pattern to include all recognized colors within the recognized groups. Broken pattern to include any recognized color within the recognized group in conjunction with white. Broken pattern must exhibit a butterfly pattern on muzzle with wings outlined in white, solid color circle around each eye, solid colored ears are preferred. Color should be evenly distributed in patched or blanketed markings. Broken pattern should have white front feet; elbow patches are desirable. Rear feet may be white, colored, or partially colored. Faults: Excessive white hairs in solid pattern group; partial nose markings/eye circles in broken pattern group; brokens with highly colored faces so markings are indistinct. Disqualifications: Mismatched eyes, foreign colored spots in the eye; absence of head markings on broken pattern; less than 10% color on broken pattern.